without the house falling...

Fifteen years ago as Jennifer and I where planning our wedding, I'd been researching poems and passages that we might want to include in our ceremony. One particular poem by Michael Blumenthal was a favorite of mine, yet somehow it didn't quite fit a marriage that was just about to begin...

"You are holding up a ceiling with both arms.

It is very heavy, but you must hold it up, or else

it will fall down on you. Your arms are tired, terribly tired, and as the day goes on, it feels as if either

your arms or the ceiling will soon collapse.

But then,

unexpectedly, 

something wonderful happens:

Someone; a man or a woman, walks into the room

and holds their arms up to the ceiling beside you.

So you finally get to take down your arms.

You feel the relief of respite, the blood flowing back

to your fingers and arms. And when your partner's arms tire, you hold up your own to relieve him again.

And it can go on like this for many years

without the house falling."

Fifteen years ago today, Jennifer and I became partners in life and love and we will continue to find relief in knowing that a respite will be there for many years to come without the house falling.

On our ten year anniversary, with Isabella whom would turn one, just five days later. We returned to the Gamble Mansion, where we had celebrated our wedding with beloved family and friends. While the Gamble Mansion has since been purchased and turned in to a private residence. I never will forget the feeling of returning to that special place where we married as a couple and returned as a family.

Happy 15th Wedding Anniversary, Jennifer!

Warm Regards,

Michael